


We Started This Fire

by nagi_schwarz



Series: Paint The Sky With Stars [27]
Category: Night World - Fandom, Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Alternate Universe - Shapeshifters, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Crossover, Fusion, M/M, au - witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-11
Updated: 2016-06-11
Packaged: 2018-07-14 12:32:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 999
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7171355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the comment_fic prompt: Stargate: Atlantis, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, <i>I was the match and you were the rock / Maybe we started this fire</i>."</p><p>John decides to bring witchfire to Atlantis.</p>
            </blockquote>





	We Started This Fire

After Evan and Ronon left, Woolsey ordered their effects packed up, Evan’s to be shipped home to his family and any of Ronon’s that wasn’t obviously alien to go with it, since there was nothing else to do with it. Teldy packed up everything, but she gave Evan’s laptop to Rodney to decommission. They deactivated all of Evan’s security access codes, logins, and passwords, and of course his and Ronon’s IDCs. But Rodney backed up Evan’s hard drive in case he had mission reports or other things on it that were still necessary to the expedition.

He set the laptop aside in case anyone’s broke and a new one was needed, and that was that.

He was working on the problem of recharging a ZPM yet again when he felt a stabbing pain in his chest.

No, not in his chest. His heart.

John.

Rodney dropped everything and ran. Blindly. Followed the tug and the pain to - the gate room.

“Tell me again.” John sounded completely calm, but Lieutenant Franklin looked spooked, and for good reason.

She cleared her throat. “The Menarians reported that the Satedans contacted them. They say they’ve moved back to Sateda and are looking to rebuild. They’re accepting refugees of culled planets who desire Satedan citizenship, and they’re open to trade negotiations.”

“The other part. About their gods.” The ice on John’s voice was accompanied by another spike of burning fury in Rodney’s chest.

And Rodney remembered Evan’s words: _On Sateda, we were gods._

“The Menarians report that the Satedans are confident in rebuilding because their gods have returned.”

“The Ancients?”

“No, sir,” Franklin said. “The Menarians said these gods were older than the Ancestors. They weren’t too clear on it.”

“Did they say what these gods looked like? What they could do?”

Franklin bit her lip. Then she reached into her pocket and drew out a piece of paper, unfolded it.

Rodney stepped closer so he could see. John didn’t even notice he was there.

Someone had drawn - quite well - a pair of jaguars, one black, rosettes barely visible, the other pale gold.

John nodded. “Thank you. Dismissed, Lieutenant.”

Franklin actually saluted before she darted away, Kusanagi and the rest of her team hurrying after her.

John turned to Rodney. “Oh, there you are. I was just about to radio for you.”

Rodney swallowed down the rage and hurt that curled in his throat, danced toward the tip of his tongue. John’s mind was one smooth obsidian wall. Nothing Rodney did nor said would get through. “What can I do for you?”

“Do you have a back-up of the contents of Lorne’s laptop?”

“Of course.” Rodney bit back a sarcastic follow-up.

“Bring it to me.”

Rodney nodded and hurried to obey. He found the external hard drive with laptop backups on it and tracked John down in the military command office. Teldy was nowhere to be seen even though her team wasn’t going off-world for the next few days.

Rodney couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Teyla.

John accepted the hard drive with curt thanks and connected it to his laptop. He seemed to forget Rodney’s presence altogether after that and began searching through the hard drive. Rodney remained at John’s side, watching over his shoulder while he worked.

John was looking for Evan’s email.

As soon as John clicked on an email from thea.dahlia@daybreak.org, Rodney realized what he was looking for.

_Hi Evan!_

_You didn’t say your CO was John Sheppard! You were dating Cousin John? And he hurt you that badly? If you weren’t so happy with your new man (tell me his name! I want to knooooow!) I’d stick a few pins in a voodoo doll of Cousin John for you. Just kidding. An harm ye none, do what ye will._

_He wants to learn witchfire, huh? I guess if he’s a soldier, that makes sense. And as long as no humans see what he does, all that matters is that you guys get home safe, right? I bet even if Cousin Carson can’t cast witchfire, he’d have a lot of good tips about working magic in general. Cousin John was mostly lamia growing up though, right? Sweet Circe, I haven’t seen him since high school. I think we cast together at least one time for Samhain, and he’s got considerable willpower. I’m sure Grandma taught him enough about the basics that the following will make perfect sense to him. (All credit goes to Winnie Arlin. She’s better at it than I am.)_

_Good luck!_

_Merry Part,_

_Thea_

What followed made zero sense to Rodney, but John nodded grimly. Then he called for an expedition muster.

“What’s going on?” Teyla asked in a low voice.

“I think,” Rodney said, “I started a fire.”

John delivered a short speech about how the expedition had been operating below its potential, and it was time to step it up, because the threat was still out there, and it was growing. Rodney saw Stevens, Coughlin, Walker, and Reed frown, knew they were hearing John calling their former leader part of that threat. But then John was telling them he could give them a weapon no one could ever take from them.

If they had the gene.

He was giving the expedition witchfire.

John turned to Teyla and said, “Can you get them started on meditation?”

Teyla turned to Rodney, but he shrugged helplessly. Whatever John thought of Evan and Ronon’s defection, witchfire would be useful for them to have.

Teyla said, “We’re going to need more candles.”

“We can trade for them, can’t we?” John raised his eyebrows.

“Yes,” Teyla said.

“Then do it.” John spun on his heel and walked away.

Teyla looked hesitant, but then some of the younger Marines were crowded around them, wide-eyed and eager to learn. Rodney thought of the way Evan’s eyes had blazed silver, the way the flame on the candle had come from seemingly nowhere, and wished it had come from him instead.


End file.
